1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to merchandising aids, and relates more particularly to a sign holder to be secured to the front edge of a merchandising shelf. The sign holder is adapted to carry a “flag” or sign displaying special information to the consumer regarding products on the shelf, such as identifying a “sale” item or the like.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Shelves with “C-channels” along the front edge are commonly found in merchandise outlets such as supermarkets, pharmacies and the like, the C-channel being formed with spaced upper and lower opposed lips to provide a convenient means for mounting many different kinds of fit-in articles, such as labels, signs or sign holder which provide information relating to the merchandise displayed on the shelf. Adhesive-backed labels can be secured directly to a supporting surface, such as the side of a warehouse shelf, or even directly on the surface of a C-channel. However, removing such adhesive-backed labels is time consuming and difficult, leaving an unsightly residue build-up. For many applications, therefore, non-adhesive paper or plastic labels are preferred since they can easily be replaced if they become damaged or the product information changes. While such non-adhesive labels can sometimes simply be fitted directly between the lips of the C-channel, more commonly, label holders are provided which have a back or body panel attached in some fashion to the supporting surface, with a transparent cover member flexibly secured along one mating edge to the body panel to define between the front surface of the body panel and the rear surface of the cover member a pocket for removable reception of one or more such information-containing labels:
Label holders are generally provided in elongated sections, perhaps 4′ or more in width, and may be secured by adhesive strips or the like to any supporting surface such as the side of a shelving or warehouse unit. However, most applications for such label holders are directly on the front flange or in the C-channel of the front edge of a product display shelf. Various prior art embodiments of such label holders can be seen in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,713,899, 5,458,307, 5,488,793, 5,515,632, 5,682,698, 5,899,011 and 6,105,295, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
Some merchandising shelves do not have integral C-channels and have only a downwardly depending or downwardly and forwardly angled front edge or lip terminating in a rearwardly-directed lower flange. Attachment of a label holder to a merchandise shelf devoid of an integral C-channel is problematic. While label holders can be adhesively secured to the depending lip on shelves of this nature, moving or replacing such elements, as with the adhesively-backed labels themselves, is difficult, time consuming and leaves an unsightly residue that is resistant to cleaning. Attempts to avoid the adhesive attachment with various elements fixing the lower portion of the label holder to or around the rearwardly extending flange on the bottom of the shelf have been generally unsuccessful because they cannot retain the body panel in position against the front edge of the shelf when the cover member is tipped forwardly to insert or remove a label from the pocket. Several types of merchandising aids designed to accommodate shelves devoid of C-channels are seen in copending, commonly assigned, application Ser. No. 10/222,775 filed Aug. 19, 2002 (the '775 application) and Ser. No. 10/639,470 filed Aug. 13, 2003 (the '470 application), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
Oftentimes, in addition to the information provided by the product labels, it is desired to highlight certain information about a particular product or group of products by displaying an enlarged “flag” or sign on the shelf, depending from the portion of the shelf carrying such products, or extending into the aisle at such a location. Different forms of “sign holders” are also well known in the merchandising art, examples of which can be seen in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,793, as well as commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,485,575, 4,531,313, 4,625,441, 4,704,813, 4,917,342, 4,995,182, 5,682,698, and 6,163,996, the subject matters of which are also incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
Separate sign holders can simply be positioned on the shelf itself, or juxtaposed to the shelf in the aisle. Yet, such an arrangement may not be stable, can waste valuable product display space, and can even cause damage to consumers. For that reason, as seen in some of the aforementioned patents, such sign holders may be designed to be supported partially or entirely in a C-channel overlying the label holders.
While constructions of this nature are convenient in some respects, significant difficulties are encountered when it is necessary to insert new labels-or to remove or replace labels already carried in the underlying label holder. In order to access the label holder pocket, any and all sign holders secured in front of and, therefore, overlying the label holder must first be removed, and subsequently replaced. This is time consuming, labor intensive, and obviously inefficient, particularly when using elongated label holders that may have multiple sign holders engaged along their length.
Moreover, in some instances, or in respect of some portions of an extended product shelf, it may be desirable to support labels or signs of different configurations on the same merchandising aid, avoiding the need to remove or replace a label or sign holder whenever the nature of the goods, or the information to be presented with respect to the goods, is changed. Merchandising aids in the form of a combination label/sign holder wherein labels can be selectively inserted and removed from the label holder pocket without removing any of the sign holders associated with related products are seen in copending, commonly assigned, U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,112 (the '112 patent), the disclosure of which is also incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. The sign holder of the '112 patent is carried by, and moves with, the cover member avoiding interfering with access to the label holder pocket by providing the front surface of the cover member of the label holder with a pair of sign holder-receiving lip members which can snappingly receive edge portions of a resilient plastic or metal sign holder such as seen in aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,793, or the engaging portions of a depending sign holder of the type seen in aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,682,698 and 6,163,996, or other such commercially available sign holders.
While, as noted above, sign holders adapted to be supported partially or entirely in a C-channel overlying the label holders engaged therein, such devices often fail to securely hold the flag or sign, particularly when the sign holder is of the type designed to project the flag into an aisle, perpendicular to the front edge of the merchandising shelf, so that information can be presented on both sides of the flag attracting the attention of passers-by moving in either direction in the aisle. Moreover, prior art sign holders of the type described generally require the presence of a C-channel or the like at the front edge of a merchandising shelf for support, and can only be carried by a merchandising shelf devoid of a C-channel adhesively, with the attendant disadvantages noted above in the event the sign holder is to be moved or replaced.
Regardless of the nature of the merchandising shelf, whether it includes a C-channel or not, and whether it is fitted with a label holder and/or a combination label/sign holder such as seen in the '112 patent, it would be desirable to have a simple and inexpensive sign or “flag” holder adapted to be carried directly by a shelf with or without a C-channel and/or by a C-channel integral with the merchandise shelf front edge and/or by the sign holder portion of a combination label/sign holder secured to the merchandise shelf.